It is our intent to keep you and your colleagues abreast of pertinent developments within the coal industry on a frequent basis. 

Accordingly, Coal Forum Headlines is a compilation of daily articles and stories about coal from around the region and the world. Upon reviewing this news stream, if you have suggestions to improve it or make it more useful please let us know.  And lastly, please share this with your colleagues and if they have an interest simply have them visit here to receive future editions directly.

Chris Hamilton thanks WVU and Marshall for honoring coal miners
West Virginia Press Association
West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton thanks WVU and Marshall for recognizing coal miners. His column also highlights coal’s statewide economic contribution, citing roughly $21 billion in economic activity and 36,249 jobs supported by mining and coal-fired generation in 2024.

West Virginia PSC examines property and rate impacts of grid expansion
News and Sentinel
West Virginia regulators questioned the local property and customer-rate implications of proposed grid expansion. The discussion included how coal-fired plant retirements affect the need for new transmission lines.

Ramaco executive brings critical-minerals development to IEA coal advisory session
Ramaco Resources / PR Newswire
Ramaco announced that critical-minerals executive Mike Woloschuk would speak at the IEA Coal Industry Advisory Board’s October 28 plenary in Paris. His presentation focuses on moving critical-mineral resources from discovery and development toward commercial production.

Researchers explore coal by-products as a market for agriculture
Wyoming Public Media
Researchers are exploring whether coal-derived materials can benefit crop production. The work points toward a potential agricultural market for coal products beyond electricity generation and combustion.

Belgian blast-furnace carbon-capture trial exceeds 90% capture rate
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
ArcelorMittal and its partners completed more than 4,500 hours of pilot testing at the Gent steelworks, demonstrating carbon-dioxide capture rates above 90% from blast-furnace gas. The results will inform assessments of full-scale deployment and further testing on other steelmaking gas streams.

Shenhua installs major equipment at Xinjiang coal-to-gas project
China Shenhua / MarketScreener
China Shenhua’s Xinjiang coal-to-gas subsidiary installed a 1,370-tonne shift-gas absorber, a core component of its purification unit. The company says the milestone supports subsequent piping, commissioning and a planned 2027 startup.